How to draw side view poses

In this step-by-step tutorial, you will learn how to draw a side view pose in your fashion sketches. Maybe your design has different lengths, a slit or another interesting detail to the side? Follow the steps and you will quickly master the profile view of the fashion figure. Enjoy!

Time, Tools and Difficulty:

Time to complete the tutorial: 12 min
Tools you’ll need: drawing paper, a pencil, and an eraser
Difficulty level: 9/10

How to draw a side view pose in 13 steps:

Step 1: Mark the head size

Start by drawing a vertical ellipse and a horizontal one crossing it. This will be the head in profile. Right in the middle of the vertical ellipse pull a long vertical line to mark the body Centerline. Make sure you have enough space to fit 9 heads in the sheet!

Step 2: The 9-head body

Starting slightly below the head mark 3 ellipses to the left of the Centerline. They should be touching the Centerline and be right below each other.  Pull a horizontal line at the bottom of the 3^rd ellipse – this is where the torso will end. Next, draw 2 more ellipses with the same size as the head again to the left of the Centerline – these will be the thighs. Lastly, add 3 more centered on the body Centerline. They set the size of the calves and the feet.

Step 3: Draw the neck

Pull a vertical line from the end of the skull (the horizontal ellipse). Pull a horizontal line from the top of the first torso head. In the crossing point draw a circle with the size of about ¼ head. This is the shoulder. Join it with the head to draw the neck. Make it is not too thin nor too thick.

Notice that the neck is slanted when viewing it in profile view. The front line should be in the middle of the space between the shoulder and the Centerline.

Step 4: Drawing the breast

The breasts from the side view are not that difficult. All you need to do is follow the first torso ellipse guideline. If the ellipse was a clock the curve you draw should be between 7 and 9.  Connect to the neck area with a diagonal line. Cut out a triangle shape from the 2^nd torso ellipse resembling Pacman.

Step 5: Finish drawing the torso

Connect the Pacman to the neck going around the shoulder. Try to make a nice smooth line. This is the back of the fashion figure.

For the front of the torso: draw a short line below the breasts following the same diagonal line. This is marking the ribcage. Then go straight down until you reach the widest part of the last torso ellipse. Then go inside blending it with the ellipse shape.

Step 6: Draw the booty

Draw the booty of your model. You can make it bigger or smaller in volume depending on your preferences. The only important thing is to finish it above the horizontal line. Otherwise, your fashion figure will look with short legs. Mark the knee- it is placed in the bottom-left part of the 2^nd thigh ellipse. Draw a dashed line from the center of the knee to the center of the torso to indicate the direction of the leg. It should be slightly slanted.

Step 7: Draw the thigh

Starting from into the torso draw the thigh making sure the front is slightly curved out. Completely straight lines will make your model look unhealthy skinny. From the center of the knee pull a diagonal line towards the Centerline. Cross where the last ellipse starts and mark the ankle.

Step 8: Draw the calf

It is time to draw the calf. Notice that the front line is almost straight (slightly bulged in) while the backline is nicely curved.

Step 9: Drawing the feet.

You may already have experience with drawing the feet from the side from the tutorial “How to draw high heels”. The essential is to draw a small circle for the heel to the right of the Centerline and a horizontal ellipse to the left. Connect them with a curve.

Step 10: the back leg

Even in profile view we almost always see small parts of the other side. Draw part of the back leg thigh and part of the foot. Make sure the foot is placed above and behind the front leg – this will give your fashion sketch perspective.

Step 11: Draw the arm

The arm can be placed in many different positions. Let’s put it on the waist of the model for this tutorial. Duplicate the booty curve and draw the hand.

Then pull a horizontal dashed line from the Pacman and a diagonal one starting from the shoulder. The latter should be in the same direction as the neck. Mark the elbow in the cross point.

Step 12: The flesh

Draw the flesh of the arm. Pay attention to the place where the two parts of the arm meet.  The “How to draw arms” tutorial and “How to draw bent arms“tip might be very helpful if this challenges you.

Step 13: Draw the face

It is time to clean up the sketch and draw the profile face of your model. Pick a hairstyle and of course design clothes of your choice.

Hopefully, this tutorial helped you gain a better understanding of how to draw profile figures. Make your portfolio more interesting by including different angles of view and keep drawing, keep being inspired!
If you want to use the side view pose and draw your designs on it directly you can download free fashion template # 38.

If you liked this tutorial and want to be able to draw any pose you imagine, get my full course on ‘How to Draw Poses‘!